Knitted fabric and method of knitting the same



Dec. 28, 1937. R. H. LAWSON ET AL KNITTED FABRIC AND METHOD OF KNITTING IIHE SAME Filed April 9, 193] FIC.3.

FIG.2.

fNYENTflRS: ROBERTH LA W504; ARTHUR N 61. 0l/T1'EIE,

' ATTy.

Patented Dec. 28, 1937 KNITTED FABRIC AND METHOQ OF KNIT- TING- THE SAME Robert H; Lawson, Pawtucket, and Arthur (N.

Cloutier, Lonsdale, R. 1., assignors to Hemphill Company, Central Falls, R. I., a corporation of Massachusetts Application April 9, 1931, Serial No. 528,808

6 Claims.

' This invention relates to elastic welts and methods of knitting the same.

In the drawing: v

Fig. 1 is a view showing a few wales and courses of an elastic welt knitted in accordance with one of the methods hereinafter to be described;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic plan view showing all of the cylinder needles knitting at the regular side of the machine, and all of the dial needles and alternate cylinder needles knitting at the auxiliary side; and

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of a stocking or half hose. Y

Although the welt or elastic section I is herein disclosed as applied to a stocking or half hose 2,

nevertheless the invention is applicable to other forms of knitted fabric.

As herein shown the methods are practiced with two sets of needles, one set 3 being cylinder needles and the other set 4 being dial needles. Furthermore, as disclosed in Fig. 2, a thread 5 is fed to the cylinder needles 3 through the instrumentality' of any suitable yarn feeding means :rcin shown as consisting of a usual yarn lever 6 which may be automatically controlled by any suitable means so as ,to move to and from thread feeding positions; while a thread or yarn 4 is 'shown, Fig. 2, as being fed to the dial needles 4 and alternate cylinder needles 3 by means of another. thread or yarn lever i}, the last named yarn lever being positioned substantially 180 degrees from the thread or yarn lever 6, and being adapt-.

ed to be automatically controlled by any suitable means (not shown). f

In addition to the yarn levers B and 8, other yarn levers such as 9 may be provided to feed plating, striping or other threads or yarns to theneedles as is usual in circular knitting machines.

accordance with one method of knitafter' all of the cylinder needles 3 have ting:

knitted any desired number of plain courses ill with the thread or yarn 5, the yarn lever 8 at the auxiliary side A of the machineis moved to the operative position shown' in Fig. 2 thereupon feeding its yarn on thread 1 to the dial needles 4 and alternate ones only of the cylinder needles 3, such alternate cylcompletion of the last such course l2 knit at the regular side, the herelnbefore mentioned jacks or other means for raising the alternate. cylinder needles at the auxiliary side are not actuated and consequently the alternate cylinder needles are iliary side. .After theknitting of a few courses l5 by the dial needles at the auxiliary side such needles cast off their stitches, the said courses I 5, however, preventing ravelling of the fabric.

All of the cylinder needles 3 continue to knit plain fabric courses l4 at the regular side, such plain fabric constituting the leg portion of the stocking. Thereafter the remaining portions of thestocking or other fabric may be knitted in any desired manner.

The last plain course l0 shown in Fig. 1, provides a fast edge to the stocking or other fabric, thereby preventing the same from ravelling and the preceding courses l0, one of which is partially shown in Fig. 1, may be ravelled out leaving the last course ID to form the beginning selvage of the half hose or other fabric.

Inspection of the fabric shown in Fig. 1 shows ome of the wales such as the first, third and fifth wales, Fig. :1, of all "the courses II as comprising stitches the alternate plain courses of 'which are knitted with the thread 5 and the intermediate one and one rib courses of which are knitted with the thread 1, alternate wales knitted with the respective threads consisting of relatively knitted with the two threads being superposed and staggered with respect to each other, and by staggered is meant that the elongated loops formed by the respective threads are drawn during the knitting of alternate courses, elongated loops being knitted with the thread 5 during the knitting of the courses at the regular side and other elongated loops knitted with the other thread I being knitted at the auxiliary side.

Although in the foregoing description the course Ill (Fig. 1) has been referred to as the selvage course, the course Ill may be removed leaving the course It, which is'knltted by the rib and alternate plain needles at the auxiliary side A of the machine,- as the selvage or beginning course of the fabric top. a

By the method hereinbefore disclosed, a twofaced fabric is produced by rib needles and althe alternate courses'of which are knitted with one of the two threads and the intermediate courses of which are knitted with the other of the said threads, and by that is meant some of the wales such as wales l1, I8 and I9 throughout a number of consecutive courses are knitted alternately with two threads, while the wales intermediate the wales l6, l1 and I8 consist of relatively elongated loops.

Among the advantages inherent in the fabric hereinbefore described and'shown in the accompa'nying drawing, are: greater elasticity of the welt; non-rolling or non-curling selvages; and welts although rib knitted having the appearance of plain knitted welts.

Although as hereinbefore described, the welt is disclosed as knitted on a knitting machine having dial and cylinder needles, nevertheless the in-- vention is not limited to the type of machine employed.

We claim:

1. A knitted selvage fabric, some, at least, of the courses of which are knitted with two threads, some of the wales of all of the courses comprising stitches the alternate courses of which are knitted with one of the two threads and the intermediate courses of which are knitted with the other of the said threads, while others of the wales consist of two sets of relatively elongated, superposed loops, one of which sets is knitted with'one of the said threads and the other of which sets is knitted with the other of the said threads, the two sets of elongated loops not being interknitted, the elongated loops knitted with one of said threads being relatively staggered with respect to the elongated loops of the other of such threads.

2. A knitted fabric, some, at least,of the courses of which are knitted with two threads, some of the wales of all of the courses comprising stitches the alternate courses of which are knitted with one of the two threads and the intermediate courses of which are knitted with the other of the said threads, while others of the wales consist of two sets of relatively elongated, superposed loops, one of which sets is knitted with one of the said threads and the other of which sets is knitted with the other of the said threads, the two sets of elongated loops not being interknitted, the elongated loops knitted with one of said threads being relatively staggered with respect to the elongated loops of the other of such threads, a selvage course of the fabric including plain stitches.

3. A knitted fabric, some, at least, of the courses of which are knitted with two threads, some of the wales of all of the courses comprising stitches the alternate courses of which are knitted with one of the two threads and the intermediate courses of which are knitted with the other of the said threads, while others of the wales consist of two sets of relatively elongated loops, one of which sets is knitted with one of the said threads and the other of which sets is knitted with theother of the said threads, the two sets of elongated loops not being interknitted, the elongated loops knitted with one of said threads being relatively staggered with respect to the elongated loops of the other of such threads, alternate courses of the fabric being knitted plain and.intermediate courses being knitted rib.

4. A two-faced fabric, one face thereof consisting of alternating rib and plain wales, and the other face thereof consisting of plain wales.

5. A two-faced fabric, one face thereof consisting of alternate rib and plain wales, and the other face thereof consisting of plain wales, the plain wales which alternate with the rib wales in one face of the fabric, being knitted alternately with two threads, the intermediate wales in that" face of the fabricv and some of the plain wales which constitute the other face of the fabric each being respectively knitted with one of such two threads.

6. A two-faced fabric, one face thereof consisting of alternate rib and plain wales while the other face thereof consists of plain wales, alternate wales of the plain wales last mentioned and the rib wales being knitted respectively with two threads and independently, the plain wales included in the face of the fabric first mentioned and the intermediate wales of the plain wales last mentioned being knitted alternately with the two threads, thereby to connect the two faces of the fabric.

ROBERT H. LAWSON. ARTHUR N. CLOUTIER. 

